Aerial ropeway.



W. CONRAD.

AERIAL ROPEWAY.

. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. ms.

1,205,515. Patented Nov. 21, 1916.-

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IIIII Z W. CONRAD.

AERIAL ROPEWAY.

APPUCATION FILED MAY16.I9I3.

1 205,5 1 5. Patented Nov. 21,1916.

I J j 3 SHEET.SSHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

SR5 ca, PHOTOJJTMQ. WASHING mm a M W. CONRAD.

AERIAL ROPEWAY.

APPLICATION r1150 PAM/16.1913.

1,205,515. Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE I WALTER CONRAD, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

AERIAL ROPEWAY.

To all whom it may concern 4 Be it known that I, Dr. I/VALTER CONRAD, engineer, a subject of the Emperor of Austria- Hungary, residing at Lichtenwerderplatz 4, Vienna, XIX, in the Empire of Austria -Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Aerial Ropeways, of which the following is a specification.

In aerial rope-ways provided not only with a traction rope but also to increase the safetyof the travel with a catch-rope rigidly fixed to one or more points of the line, the brakeage of the car on the catch-rope produces excessive strains which are put or exerted not only upon the catch-rope but also upon the traction rope and also upon the hauling gear and the car. hen after a rupture of the traction rope the car is clamped to the catch-rope, this rope has to absorb the :kinetic energy produced the entire falling system (car with load and ballast rope) and to neutralize it by elastic detormation until the car is brought to rest. When on the other hand the car is clamped during its normal travel accidentally or intentionally to the catch-rope, both the catchrope and the traction rope have to absorb and neutralize the kinetic energy of the whole moving system and in addition the entire energy furnished by the hauling gear until its stopping. The excessive stresses thus produced in the ropes, the hauling gear and the cars considerably exceed the regularstresses acting during the normal opera tion of the plant, and consequently lead to premature wear. a

The object of the present invention is to avoid these harmfuland destructive stresses.

According to the present invention the catch-rope is arranged as a rope movable in both directions, by the motion of which, resulting from the clamping thereto of atraveling car, one or more brakes of the hauling gear or brakes or other suitable stopping devices of the catch-rope gear, or of both gears, are brought into operation.

In one construction this device is advantageously arranged so that the length of slip or vmotion of the catch-rope is limited but remains nevertheless greater than the length of movement of the hauling rope after the application t the brakes to the hauling gear.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 16, 1913.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

Serial No. 768,012.

two carrying ropes per track and with a.

catch-ropesituated between the two groups of wheels running on each carrying rope. Fig. 3 shows a diagrammatic sectional view of a device for clamping the car to the catch-rope. Figs. 48 are diagrammatic representations of different stopping and braking devices of the catch-rope.

In the example illustrated the track is formed of the two carrying ropes a. On each trackrollsacar b bearingthe cabin-0. To both-cars are secured at their-upper sides the two ends of the traction or hauling rope (Z and at their lower sides the two ends of the ballast rope 6. Thus the hauling rope. the ballast rope and the cars form a rope drive enabling an alternating up and down traflic of both carriages. This traflic is 'sus' tained by the hauling gear A. The catch rope 7 is capable of motion similarly to a rope drive and runs through the catch-rope gear B, which also may be provided "witha driving device, such anarrangement being, however, omitted from the drawing as it forms no part ofthe invention.

The car clamps or clutches g are situated at the upper :part of the car and can be shut either by hand or automatically in case of a rupture of the hauling rope or the'normal traveling speed being exceeded.

The car clamp asshown in one modification in Fig. '3 consists of a hired jaw 15, a

movable jaw 16, a lever 17 fixed to the said 7 passes over the guide pulleys 71', then over the driving pulley '1'. and the counter pulley 7c. Gn the shaft of the driving pulley are keyed the toothed wheel. of the driving gear and a brake drum Z. Power is transmitted to the driving gear by the toothed wheel 4%. Brakin is effected by approaching the brake checks n n to the drum Z by means of a screw 0 provided. with right and left hand threads. The screw is rotated by means of the drum 7) the rope Q and the weight '1". The weight is controlled by the pawl s. The disengagement of this pawl is effected through the catch-rope gear by the rod t, the bell crank lever to and the crank 42 attached to the guide pulley 10 over which the catchrope passes in such a way that the weight 9' is caused to fall by the slightest movement of the catch-rope in either direction. By this means the hauling rope brake is brought into action immediately upon the commencement of the catch-rope movement. To enable the brake actuating mechanism to be readily returned to normal position after it has functioned the crank 11 is secured to the shaft by means of a friction clutch controlled by means of the nut The catch-rope runs over the two guide pulleys w and y to the driving pulley z and the counter pulley Z.

On the shaft of the driving pulley are keyed a brake drum 2 and a toothed Wheel 3, which engages with the wheel 8 actuating the catch-rope brake. This brake acting on the drum 2 may be constructed identically as the brake of the hauling gear A. But the weight 4: is disengaged by the pawl 5, the connecting rod 6 and the lever 7 on which a pin 9 secured to the wheel 8 strikes, so soon as the wheel has made a half turn. Therefore the action of the brake is the same in either direction of motion of the catch-rope. In order to bring the pin 9 again to its neutral point it is arranged so that it may be moved along the whole circumference of the wheel 8 and clamped in any position in the slot, 10. The same efiect may be obtained by securing the toothed wheel to the shaft by means of an adjustable clutch, similar to that employed with the crank '0.

The operation of the apparatus described is as follows :During normal working, the brake on the catch-rope gear B remains 01%, so that the catch-rope on overcoming its resistance of friction and acceleration may iove freely. Such a motion takes place, if one of the traveling cars is clamped to the catch rope by means of the clutch g whereupon the catch-rope is moved, the guide pulley w turned, the weight 7' disengaged, the hauling gear A braked, and the car stopped. However, these means are insufiicient, if the milling rope is detached from the car or in the case of a failure of the hauling gear brakes. In those cases the catch-rope will nevertheless continue its motion, provided only, that the weight of the car clamped to the rope is suflicient to overcome the resistance of friction and acceleration resistance of the rope and its gear. For such circumstances in the example shown a brake is provided at the catch rope gear, coming into operation only if the movement of the catchro-pe continues after and although the hauling gear brake has been set into action. To this end, the disengaging gear of the catchrope brake is provided with an idle motion, preferably of variable length. In the example shown, the transmission ratio between the wheels 3 and 8 is so chosen, that the slip of the catch-rope effected between the application of the hauling rope brake and the application of the catch-rope brake, is longer than the interval normally required after the application of the brake on the hauling gear to stop the hauling rope. The re-starting after braking is effected, by first disengaging the car clutch, then turning the crank o and the pin 9 of the wheel 8 to their neutral points and finally bringing the weights 1 and 4- into their initial positions by means of lifting gears.

In place of the brake on the catch-rope gear some other suitable form of stopping mechanism may be employed, for example a collar, clamped to the catch-rope, striking against an elastic tappet arrangement and thus limiting the motion of the catch-rope in case of a rupture of the hauling rope. Such device, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, comprises collars 20 clamped by bolts to both branches of the catch-rope f, the elastic tappets, against which the said collars strike, being shown in two modifications. In one modification the tappet 21 is backed by springs22 while according to the other modification the tappet is backed by a dashpot 23 of annular section as shown in F 5, the said dashpot being filled with air or a liquid circulating through a tube 24. Then instead of a brake on the catch-rope gear, a brake may be provided which acts directly upon the catch-rope, such arrangement being shown in the drawings in one modification in Figs. 68, Fig. 6 being a plan view of the same, F 7 a front View of the braking jaws, and Fig. 8 a sectional view of the detail shown in Fig. 7.

The disengaging mechanism is practically the same as employed for the brake of the catch rope gear and shown in Figs. 1 and 2.. It consists of the lever 7 struck by the pin 9 and transmitting the motion thereby imparted, by the cord 6 to the pawl 5 which disengages the weight 4 attached to a rope wound around the drum 25 keyed on the shaft 36. This shaft is provided with right and left hand threads respectively at both its ends, the said threads engaging nuts 28 secured to the ends of the gripping levers 29,

catchrope passing between the gripping levers is grasped, if the weight 4 falls.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is'to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. An aerial ropeway'comprising a traveling car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a catch-rope movable in both directions, a clamp on the car for engaging the catchrope, said catch-rope being moved upon being seized by the clamp of the traveling car and means to arrest the car, said means being controlled by the motion of the catchrope.

2. An aerial ropeway comprising cars traveling in opposite directions, a hauling rope, one catch rope for said cars movable in opposite directions, a clamp on each of the cars for engaging the catch-rope and means controlled by the motion of the catchrope, and independent of its direction of motion, to arrest the car.

3. An aerial ropeway comprising a traveling car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a catch-rope movable in both directions, a clamp on the car for engaging the catch: rope, said catch-rope being moved upon; being seized by the said clamp, and arresting means for the catch'rope, controlled by the motion of the catch-rope.

4. An aerial ropeway comprising a traveling car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a catch-rope movable in both directions, a clamp on the car for engaging the catchrope, said catch rope being moved upon being seized by the said clamp and arresting means for the hauling rope, controlled by the motion of the catch-rope.

An aerial ropeway comprising a traveling car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a catch-rope movable in both directions, a clamp on the car for engaging the catchrope,'said catch-rope being moved upon being seized by the clamp of the car, arresting means for the hauling rope and arresting means for the catch-rope, both arresting means being controlled by the motion of the catch-rope.

6. An aerial ropeway comprising a traveling car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a catch-rope, movable in both directions, a clamp on the car for engaging the catchrope, said catch-rope being moved upon being seized by the clamp of the car, arresting means for the hauling rope, arresting means for the catch-rope, and means to operate first the arresting means for the hauling rope and to operate the catch-rope arresting means only in case of failure of the hauling rope arresting means.

7. In an aerial ropeway, the combination of a car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear a catclrrope movable in both directions, a brake controlled by movement of the catchrope, a clamp on the car 'for engaging the catch=rope, said rope being adapted to be moved upon being seized by the clamp of the car, and means to permit idle motion of the-catch-rope prior to its actuation of the brake.

8. In an aerial ropeway, the combination ofa car, a hauling rope, a haulinggear, a

clutch carried by the car, a catch-rope mov-' able in both directions, the said catch-rope being moved upon being seized by the clutch of the car, and a brake for the said hauling gear controlled by movement of the catchrope.

9. An aerial ropeWay, comprising a traveling car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a catch-rope movable in both directions, arresting means therefor,a clamp on the car for engaging the catch-rope, said rope being moved upon being seized by the clamp of the car, and means to perinlt idle motion of the catch-rope prior to its actuation of V the arresting means.

10. In an aerial ropeway, the combination of a car, a clutch carried by the car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a brake for the hauling gear, a catch-rope movable in both directions, a brake controlled by movement of the catch-rope, said catch-rope being adapted to be moved upon being seized by the clutch of the car, and means to provide idle motion of the said second-mentioned brake until the actuation of the hauling rope brake.

11. In an aerial ropeway, the combination of a car, a hauling rope, a hauling gear, a

catch-rope movable in both directions, a

brake controlled by movement of the catchrope, a clamp on the car for engaging the catch-rope, said rope being adapted to be moved upon being seized by the clamp of the car, and means to permit idle motion of the catch-rope prior to its actuation of the brake. V

12. An aerial ropeway, comprising traveling cars, a hauling rope, a catch-rope movable in both directions, arresting means for the said ropes, means controlled by the catch-rope to operate the brakes of the hauling rope and of the catch-rope, and means to adjust the arresting means to their initial position after each motion of the catchrope.

13. An aerial ropeway, comprising traveling cars, two carrying ropes per track, wheels on the said cars running on both carrying ropes, a catch-rope movable in both directions, situated between the two carrying ropes, a hauling rope, a 'hauling gear, brakes for the catch-rope and the hauling rope and means controlled by the catch rope to operate the said brakes.

14. In an aerial ropeway, the combination of a car, a clutch carried thereby, a hauling signed my name in the presence of two subrope,bzi hauling gear, an endless catch-rope scribing Witnesses. mova e 11 3011 bein seized he said a clutch, a cz xtch rope gear, a brgjke for the WALTER CONRAD hauling gear controlled by movement of the Witnesses: catch rope. J UGO REIK,

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto AUGUST FUGGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 7

Washington, D. C. 

